Chapter 1 The White Moonlight Returns Home (not really) Wayne Manor Must...
In Gotham at night, owls patrol their territory.
A silver cloak cut through the night, and a huge figure silently swept across, landing lightly on a street lamp, as if he were truly a bird with hollow bones.
The owl tilted its head, scrutinizing the transaction on the ground.
Someone violated his rules and created chaos on his land.
Two groups of people, two small, arrogant gangs, are illegally trading heavy weapons.
Night Owl stood up, making a slight metallic clanging sound.
It wasn't until the tall figure blocked out the moonlight and the dark shadow covered a gang member that these foolish guys realized they had been spotted as prey by the nocturnal birds.
After a few desperate screams and several silenced gunshots, Gotham's night returned to deathly silence.
Yes, deathly silent.
Under the owl's rule, no prey dares to make a sound.
Who can blame them when these birds have such exceptionally sensitive hearing and sharp claws?
As dawn broke, the fiery red sun once again claimed the Gotham sky.
Gotham is missing two gangs on the surface... but who cares? Who would care?
-
Thomas Wayne returned to his lair, removed his armor, and only rested for a short while before rushing back to Wayne Manor.
Compared to Wayne Manor, this villa was incredibly shabby. The apparent decor was vulgar and mercenary, while the most important dark room was crammed with high-tech equipment that gleamed coldly, utterly devoid of any aesthetic appeal.
But its owner clearly didn't care. Thomas had bought the villa from a down-on-his-luck member of the Owl Court. It was the perfect size, far from any human habitation, and had a secret room—perfect for the owl's needs.
Thomas didn't have any leverage over Alfred in this world, and he rarely returned to Wayne Manor, only going back once or twice a month.
Today is an exception.
Bruce Wayne, Thomas's brother in this universe, is returning to Gotham today, and Thomas is going to throw him a welcome-back party.
Bruce... Bruce Wayne, Thomas Jr. chewed on the name over and over.
Thomas's former brother, now his older brother... the first innocent person to die at his hands.
Thomas changed into a rather sophisticated British suit and stood in front of the mirror.
For several years, since Bruce left Gotham, the two had not seen each other.
Thomas skillfully tied a beautiful Windsor knot for himself.
Looking at his face in the mirror, he suddenly became curious about what Bruce looked like now.
Thomas got into the prepared car and closed his eyes to rest in the back seat.
I've already let go of your claws, turned my head away, and plugged my ears... Why did you come back?
Bruce Wayne.
My elder brother and younger brother.
-
Thomas got out of the car and was greeted by Alfred, the Wayne family's loyal butler.
"It seems we're not only welcoming back Young Master Bruce, who's returned from his world travels, but also Young Master Thomas, who's just returned from England—Young Master Thomas, how is Her Majesty doing these days?"
Thomas pretended not to understand Alfred's compliment on his English attire and the subtle sarcasm about his long absence from home, and simply said, "I'm sorry, I don't think I have the honor of being received by Her Majesty the Queen, Alfred."
He unbuttoned his suit jacket, sat upright on the sofa, and began working on the tasks he had brought.
There was one more person in the house than usual, yet it was quieter than ever before.
Thomas has this ability; he's like a black hole, able to pull everything around him into a deathly silence.
The people of Gotham fear Thomas Wayne Jr. as much as they fear a black hole. Even though an ordinary human would never encounter him in their lifetime, his very existence seems to be incredibly unsettling.
However, Alfred was clearly unfazed—once you've changed someone's diaper, it's hard to be afraid of that person.
Even if Isaiah Thomas is a madman, a freak, or an antisocial person in the conventional sense.
Even though he had secretly done a lot for Isaiah Thomas.
The two of them stayed quietly in the main hall.
Perhaps as people get older, they become fond of reminiscing about the past. His thoughts spread like spilled water, gradually flowing downwards, returning to the most lively time at Wayne Manor.
In Alfred's memory, Thomas Jr. was different from Bruce. He seemed to have been born in his twenties, never crying, emotionally withdrawn, and taciturn.
Isaiah Thomas has never bothered with pretending.
He was even unwilling to let his behavior resemble that of a normal person.
From the time he was able to move around on his own, Thomas Jr. spent most of his days reading, from picture books to Bruce's textbooks, and even the corners of newspapers and torn advertisements could keep him occupied for half a day.
Those eyes, which seemed to have seen far too much, were shaped like Bruce's, but while Bruce's eyes evoked images of clear skies and sapphires, Thomas's eyes were more like calm seawater—calm, yet deadly.
This gave old Thomas and Martha a huge headache; they even suspected that the child might have some kind of mental illness.
Fortunately, he had a playmate who could make him "normal," namely Thomas's older brother, Bruce.
It's amazing how Thomas seems to have a natural affinity for Bruce. Only Bruce can get him out of his books, out in the sunshine to play games, or to do some childish pranks... Only when he's with Bruce does Thomas feel like a child.
Even in front of Bruce, Thomas didn't really enjoy playing games, so they often huddled together chatting.
Bruce's conversations are mostly childlike and revolve around anything that interests children (though it's useless, Bruce tries to avoid Alfred when discussing pranks and snacks to prevent Alfred from discovering his "bad deeds," such as secretly eating a lot of snacks under Thomas's cover).
The topics led by Thomas Jr. are mostly heavy and complex, mainly revolving around ethics, philosophy and death (never avoiding anyone, Thomas Jr. has no regard for the fragile hearts and sensitive nerves of adults).
What impressed Alfred most was a conversation he overheard, a short conversation.
It's quite remarkable that this conversation was initiated by the taciturn Thomas.
Alfred remembered it clearly; the rain that day was gentle and fine, carrying the earthy scent of grass and trees into the house. Young Master Bruce, kept indoors by the rain, was a little impatient. He sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, right next to little Thomas, holding a book and lost in thought.
Meanwhile, young Thomas was engrossed in reading the newspaper that his father, Thomas, hadn't finished. He seemed to have come across some news about a murder, so he put down the newspaper and asked Bruce thoughtfully, "Bruce, do you think retaliation is a sin?"
"Huh? What is that?" Bruce snapped out of his daydream, asking him in confusion, "What did you say, Tommy? A relationship?"
This word was obviously unfamiliar to eight-year-old Bruce.
But four-year-old Thomas clearly understood the meaning of the word, so he explained it to Bruce:
"For example, if someone hits me for no reason and knocks out one of my teeth, and I hit back and knock out one of their teeth in return, do you think I did the right thing?"
"Maybe I'm right? That sounds fair."
Thomas nodded and continued reading his newspaper.
After a while, Thomas's voice drifted into Alfred's ears: "What if someone killed me? What if someone killed me, and my father..." Thomas seemed to choke on the word, but he continued, "What if my father killed the murderer's second son in revenge?"
Bruce seemed stumped.
He stammered as he answered, “But that seems unfair to the second son. I thought we could kill the murderer himself? But murder is a sin… No matter what, murder is wrong. I remember Thomas saying that we cannot let hatred continue to circulate.”
Bruce tried hard to scrape his father’s teachings out of his mind, adding a bit of his own understanding, creating a hodgepodge of unsound thoughts.
Thomas Jr. listened intently.
Clearly, Thomas Jr. had not yet realized the weight of human life at this point—his sense of right and wrong was only influenced by Bruce, who was just a child himself.
When one child's sense of right and wrong is completely dictated by another child's... any mature and wise person can sense the danger in this.
Alfred then stopped the dangerous topic.
Actually, this conversation was unremarkable. There weren't many conversations led by Thomas, but they weren't few either. There were several conversations that were even more inappropriate for children than this one, but only this conversation left a deep impression on Alfred.
Because a murder occurred the very next day after this conversation.
The Wayne couple died along with their killer.
When the police arrived, Thomas was sitting cross-legged on the ground at the alley entrance, idly looking up at the night sky, with the gun that was used as the murder weapon lying at his feet, while Bruce, who was stronger than him, was holding him tightly.
According to the police investigation, the Wayne couple were accidentally shot and killed by thugs during a robbery, and the killer dropped the weapon in a panic.
Then, for reasons unknown, little Thomas, a four-year-old boy, picked up the gun and accurately shot the fleeing killer.
In fact, even Alfred didn't know what had happened in that alley. Young Master Bruce gave a vague account, insisting the assailant committed suicide, and that little Thomas was simply too young to understand death, hence his silence; curious about the gun, he walked to the assailant's body, picked it up, and then, frightened, dragged himself back into the alley…
Of course, this lie was sturdy enough for an eight-year-old, but it was full of holes for the police and Alfred.
First of all, it's impossible for a criminal to commit suicide after being shot in the back.
Secondly, based on the traces at the scene, they could even deduce that Thomas Jr. used a standard kneeling firing posture and, for some unknown reason, fired a second shot after hitting the assailant with the first shot, which then hit the wall.
As for Isaiah Thomas... Thomas himself completely refused to communicate, only coldly admitting that he had killed someone.
The case shocked the entire Gotham City. Some wanted to take a bite out of Wayne's business, while others wanted to squeeze blood out of Wayne's story.
Countless people poured out their malice on the dead Wayne couple and their two surviving children.
Thomas Wayne Jr., in particular, received the most speculation.
Those unscrupulous tabloid reporters unjustly branded Thomas as a born bad seed, a murderer, and a demon, claiming with certainty that Thomas was possessed by an evil spirit and had murdered his own parents for the Wayne family's wealth, then framed innocent bystanders, and would surely kill his last obstacle—Master Bruce—in the future.
During that time, Alfred stopped all newspapers that were supposed to be delivered to Wayne Manor, in case the already sensible young master Bruce and the precocious young master Thomas accidentally saw this junk.
No matter how much he wanted to give these two children a warm childhood, everything was already irreversible.
Bruce developed psychological problems, while Thomas remained silent as always, or even worse—after this incident, he rarely spoke to Bruce and locked himself in his room every day, doing who-knows-what.
The atmosphere between the two grew increasingly cold, and Bruce finally made up his mind to leave.
Before leaving, Bruce confessed his entire plan to his loyal old butler, hoping Alfred could secretly prepare suitable equipment for him (preferably keeping it a secret from Thomas as well). More importantly, he needed to keep a close eye on Thomas's mental state, ensuring that Thomas never touched dangerous items like guns, poison, bombs, or swords again, and that he stayed away from the rooftop... as if Thomas were still a four-year-old child.
Young Master Thomas only learned of the news the night before Young Master Bruce was to leave.
He went berserk, seemingly the most emotionally charged he had ever been in his life. He stormed into Bruce's room, inexplicably bursting into tears and laughter, telling Bruce to leave immediately and preferably never return to Gotham.
After this clearly unpleasant farewell, Bruce left the manor first. He wanted to become stronger; he wanted to protect his remaining family and the city.
After that, Thomas Jr. lived like a ghost, barely managing to stay at Wayne Manor for a few months before leaving. He moved alone into another Wayne family residence.
Upon reaching adulthood, Thomas Jr. immediately seized control of the Wayne Enterprises, continuously expanding the Wayne family's wealth and power with his outstanding talent, exceptional strategic vision, and genius-level scientific research.
Many people secretly speculated that Isaiah Thomas would definitely drive his brother out of Wayne's inner circle of power.
Logically, such conspiracy theories would be perfect for Gotham's tabloids, but no newspaper dares to publish them.
Because in Gotham now, no one dares to challenge Isaiah Thomas's authority.
A bell rang outside the door.
Thomas stood up and walked toward the porch, bringing Alfred's thoughts back to the present.
The Gotham child eventually returned to Gotham's embrace.
Welcome back, Bruce.
A note from the author:
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Notice:
1. The Night Owl from the anime, but due to the limited content of the anime, it is inevitable that character designs are collected from other works in which the Night Owl has appeared (such as LEGO games).
2. The protagonist of this story is a serious brother-complex character, but his character will inevitably break down when his disobedient younger brother...
3. Night Owl's values do not represent the author's values. The author agrees with the Master's principle of not killing, but after all, Night Owl has been in the world of 360 for so many years, so his methods are quite brutal.
4. Other universes have come to visit.
5. There are quite a few brothers who tear each other apart, especially after both of them are exposed. They are really on opposite sides, but they won't go so far as to destroy each other.
6. The author watches more anime, so please point out any omissions in the settings.
7. Bruce isn't feudal. Personally, I feel that Isaiah Thomas has a stronger desire for control and a more abstract mental state, so he occupies the feudal patriarchal position (not really).
8. I am not a hater of any character. Comments that insult a character will be deleted (except for those super anti-characters, the damn Riddler and the Joker).
9. Don't say things like "Batman killed people, Gotham would have been peaceful long ago"...
10. There will be classic Gotham Narcissus speculations (not just Batman, but also Thomas Jr. and Nite Owl). If you mind, please don't enter.
11. The Night Owl has limited screen time in the first three chapters.
12. Thomas is a liar... Don't believe him, especially in the early stages. There are many unreliable accounts about him. Just remember that Nite Owl is a supervillain from beginning to end.
13. There are extensive descriptions of the old man and the clown Martha (and inevitably, there are romantic descriptions of them as a couple), so it should be considered... a secondary couple? What should it be called?
14. The characters in the story are no smarter than the stupid author, and the stupid author is just that—a stupid author…
15. Since they all live together, raising the child is actually a joint effort between the two of them (although Alfred is the primary caregiver) (referring to daily living arrangements).
16. I'll add more later if I think of anything else.
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